Improvement in locomotive, portable, and other steam-engines



'- 5-Sheets--Sheet1`l L. PERKINS. v-Locumoti'vle, Portable and other Steam-Engines.

N0. 145,525, Patented Dec;16,1873.

5 Sheets--Sheet2. L PERKKIN S.

Lucmot-ive, Portable and other Steam-Engines.l

5 Sheets-#Sheet 4.

L. PERKINS. Lueemutive,- Portable and other Steam-Engines. No. 145,525.

Patented Dec. I6, 1873.

5 Sheets--Slheet 5. L PERKN S.

Locomotive, Portable and other-Steam-Engines. No.'145,525. vPatenten! oec.1a,1'73.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

LOFTUS PERKINS, OF SEAFORD STREET, GRAYS INN ROAD, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCOMOTIVE, PORTABLE, AND OTHER STEAMENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,525., dated December 16, 1873 application tiled January 21, 1873.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, LoETUs PERKINS, of Seaford Street, Grays Inn Road, in the county of Middlesex, England, a citizen of the United States of America, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Locomotive, Portable, and other Steam-Engines;

and I, the said LoETUs PERKINS, do herebyv declare the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and `ascertained in and by the following statement thereofthat is to say: y

This invention consists of the arrangement of awater-tube boiler, an air-surface condenser, and a compound engine, all upon a frame supported by wheels, the whole constituting a locomotive implement for supplying' steam-power with great economy of fuel and water. The invention consists, further, of the combination of a tubular air-surface condenser, constructed to e'ect the condensation of steam bythe action of the atmosphere upon its external tubular surfaces, with the exhaust-pipe of the engine, and with a loaded relief-valve, so that, while the steam is retained for the purposes of condensation in the air-surface condenser, the internal pressure in the latter cannot 'ex- -ceed that which its thin tubes are adapted to resist.

At Figine 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed I have shown a longitudinal vertical section; at Fig. l", a plan view, partly in section; and at Fig. 1c X, a transverse section of a traction or locomotive engine constructed in this manner. At Figs. 2 and 2x I have shown s imilarviews to Figs. l and lX of a portable engine.

In these figures, A is the boiler, B the compound engine, and C the condenser. The boiler I construct of layers ot' horizontal wroughtiron tubes a a, each tube having solid ends welded in. Each layer of tubes is connected to that above and below by short vertical pipes, b I). The vertical pipes are screwed at each endone with a Vright and the other with a left hand thread. This allows of the vertical pipes being screwed simultaneously into two layers of horizontal tubes. After the vertical pipes have been screwed in as tightly as pos-A sible, they are secured in their places by calkmg.

Another mode is to screw or weldshort nipples onto the horizontal tubes, as at c c, the protruding ends of the nipples having threads of different pitch cut upon them. These nipples, if screwed into the horizontal tubes, are secured in their places by calking. The connection between the nipples is then made by a socket, one end having a tine and the other a coarse thread to suit that on the nipples. The socket is first screwed onto the nipple with the fine thread as far as it will go; then a double cone, wrought-iron or steel distance-piece, or copper washer with flat ends, is putin, this washer or double cone being of such a length that it does not quite reach to the surface of the socket. The socket is then screwed oit the tine onto the coarse thread until the nip ples are drawn tightly together, the conc distance-piece cutting into the ilat ends of the nipples, or the copper washer ilattening, and so making a joint 5 or, in place of cutting threads of different pitch upon the two nipples which are to be connected together by a socket, a right-handed thread may be cut upon one nipple and a left-handed thread upon the other, andcorresponding threads cut at the two ends of the socket, so that by the screwing on of the socket the two nipples maybe similarly drawn tightly together. These ways of forming the joints are chiefly required for the joints c c, where thc top horizontal tube of the lirebox is connected with the several horizontal tubes above it, and also for the joints d d, where the top row of the tubes a are connected to the steam-pipe e. The tire-box is formed of wrought-iron tubes, bent into the desired form to make the sides of the box, and connected -to each other and the horizontal layers above by short vertical pipes. l more than two vertical pipes are used to connect the horizontal ones, they must be screwed with similar threads at both ends, one end having its screwed portion at least twice that of the other. In putting together, all the long ends are first screwed into the horizontal pipes as far as they will go. The other tube is then put into position. The vertical pipes are then screwed back again as far as the short thread will permit them. They are then secured by calkine. The feed-water is passed into the bottom tube a, which is bent so as to pass entirely around the bottom of the fire, its welded ends being brought together, as shown at a. The tube above it, and likewise the top tube of the irebox, are similarly bent round, and their welded ends brought together. The welded endsof the two intermediate tubes are not brought close up to one another, but a sufficient space is left between them to allow of thev fire-box being supplied with fuel. j' f are tire-bars for the .fuel to rest on. The tubes forming the boiler are surrounded by a double case, of wrought-iron, g g, the space between the cases being filled with vegetable-black or other'suitable non-conducting material; but, by preference, I employ the vegetable-black, as a very small thickness of this material entirely prevents heat passing away through it. An opening is formed through the casing for the iiredoor, as shown at hf, Fig. 2.

The arrangement of compound engine I prefer to employ is shown in the drawings. In each ahigh-pressure single-acting and a lowpressure double-actin g cylinder are employed, with a chamber of suitable proportion at the side; the high-pressure cylinder is marked c', and the low-pressure marked 7s. In the engine shown at F1031, a piston-rod, l, from the piston ofthe low-pressure cylinder, passes out through a stuffing-box at the bottom of this cylinder, and is attached to a cross-head slide, Z1, from which a connecting-rod passes to a crank-pin, m, on the shaft u. This shaft has, by preference, two other cranks upon it, the crank-pins of which are marked m1 m2, and these are each driven by a similar arrangement of doublecylinder engine. In each engine the piston lx for the high and low pressure cylinder is made in one piece, the high-pressure piston being so constructed as to fill the cylinder when at the top of the stroke. The steam, after being used in the high-pressure cylinder, is passed to the chamber, and from the chamber to the top and bottom, or to the bottom only, of the low-pressure cylinder. The steam is, by preference, passed to and from the high-pressure cylinder by a piston-valve, and to the low by an ordinary slide-valve; but any suitable valve arrangement may be employed, and I prefer that the valves should be worked by eccentrics on the crank-shaft and controlled by a link-motion, in the usual manner. In this arrangement of cylinders, the high -pressure steam never comes in contact with the vegetable packin in the stuffing-boxes of the piston-rods.

In the drawings I have not thought it necessary toV show the valves or valve-gear, as the construction of these parts of an engine is well understood.

In the arrangement of engine shown at Fig. l, I prefer that the low-pressure steam should be admitted both tothe top and bottom of the low-pressure cylinders 5 but, if only one high and one low pressure cylinder are used, as at Fie. 2, I prefer to admit the low-pressure steam to the bottom only of the low-pressure cylinder, so that the upstroke is made with the lowpressure, and the down-stroke with the highpressure, steam only. The top of the cylinder is, in this case, connected to the condenser, so that any leak of steam into it may be recovered in the condenser.

In Fig. l, the driving-shaft a of the locomotive-engine has upon it, near each end, a toothed pinion, which can be thrown in and out of gear with a toothed wheel on axes o, upon which are pinions, gearing with a ring of teeth upon each of the driving-wheels p p of the locomotive-engine.

In Fig. 2, the piston of the low-pressure cylinder has two piston-rods, l Z, passing up from it through passages cast at the sides ofthe high-pressure cylinder, and through stuffingboxes Z2 at the top of these passages. One only of the piston-rods is seen in the drawin gs.. The piston-rods are attached to a crosshead slide, ll, and this, by a connecting-rod, drives a crank on the driving-shaft a, which is provided with a ily-wheel. The exhaust steam from the low-pressure cylinder is conducted away to the condenser. In Fig. 1 it is conducted to the top of the condenser by the pipe q. This pipe has a branch, q', upon it, formed with a contracted nozzle, as shown, so that any portion of the exhaust steam may, whenever desired, be allowed to escape through this nozzle into the chimney, to increase the draft in the boiler-furnace. In Fig. 2, the eX- haust steam is passed into the bottom end of the condenser. The joints between the cylinder covers and iianges are made byplacing between them narrow washers of 'copper or other metal, say of about one-eighth of an inch or less, and compressing them to a perfeet surface by drawing the cylinder-covers toward the anges by bolts and nuts 5 or, in some cases, very narrow projecting surfaces on the flanges or covers are employed, the surface being sufficiently narrow and the bolts strong enough to compress the narrow surface, and so form a perfect joint. Such narrow projecting surface should enter a corresponding recess, in order that, if the coverbe taken oft' the cylinder, the projecting surface may always come to the same position when the cover is replaced.

I will now proceed to describe the'condensers in which the steam is condensed after being used in the engine.

In the locom otive-engine, I prefer to divide the condenser into two parts,there being one part placed Von each side of the engine, as is 'into'the hot well, where it is collected. Pipes are fixed at the ends of the condensers to clear them of water when ascending or descending an incline.

I have not thought it necessary to show these pipes or the hot well into which they conduct the condensed water; nor have I thought it necessary to show the feed-pump for pumping back such condensed water into the boiler, as such feed-pump may be of any Ordinar f' construction.

At the top of the condenser self-acting reliefvalves x, inclosed, by preference, in perforated cases and loaded Vto a light pressure-say, a pressure of about one pound on the square inchare provided; these prevent any eX- cess of pressure coming upon the tubes of the condenser in case the steam is not all condensed, an'd yet they prevent the steam from blowing off too readily and escaping from the condenser.

The tubes of the condenser I prefer to form of galvanized or finned iron tubes, and I provide about one hundred and fty square feet of tube surface for every cubic foot of water evaporated per hour in the boiler.

The engine, boiler, eondensers, tanks, and coal-bunkers are carried upon a stron g wroughtiron frame made of angle-iron.

The locomotiveengine shown at Fig. l is carried on three wheels, the two drivin gwheels before mentioned and another wheel for guiding.

All the wheels are, by preference, provided with india-rubber tires, protected from injury by a flexible chain band.

The axle bearin gs of the front steeringwheel are connected to jaws upon a wheel plate or ring, around which is a spur-wheel. A pinion driven by a vertical shaft gears into the spur-wheel, and motion is imparted to this shaft by a worm and wheel. The wheelplate is kept in its place by an internal flange embracing an angle-iron ring fastened to the main frame. This arrangement for working the steering-wheel is clearly shown in Fig. 1. I would, however, state that I do not conline myself to the employment of this special description of steering-gear, as other suitable arrangements may, if preferred, be adopted in place thereof.

"In the engine shown at Fig. l. the fine from the boiler is so arranged that all the heated gases, on their way to the chimney, have to pass the cylinders; or, in place of this, the cylinders may have surrounding coils of pipe cast in with them, as shown at Fig. 2, to be kept filled with steam from the boiler, and thus prevent any condensation taking place in the cylinders when working the steam eX- pansively. l

Any suitable safety-valve may be employed. The safety-valve I prefer consists of a conical valve pressed by a spring on the back and covered by a casing having two escape-pipes that lead the steam when blowing olinto the condensers.

The valve is placed upon theend of a siphon-pipe lled with water, to keep the valve cool and indicate when it blows off by becoming hot to the touch.

The watergage is made with the usual glass tube; but in place of taps, screw-cocks are used having long stuffing-boxes to keep the packing cool, and the glass is protected from breaking' by two strong metal bars, one upon each side, connecting the ends, and preventing them from bending outward when under great pressure.

The boiler isprovided with two blow-off cocks, one for clearing it of water, and the other for relieving the boiler from undue pressure. This cock is connected with the condensers by the escape-pipe from the safety-valve.

.Both cocks are provided with stuffing-boxes placed at a distance from the steam to protect the packing from the heat.

Each condenser is provided with an airvalve loaded to a slight pressure to relieve the condensers from air, and also to act as a safety-valve should they accidentally become charged with steam to a greater amount than they are capable of bearing.

The steam-pipe connections are made with sockets, the pipes being screwed with right and left hand threads, or with diiferential threads, as hereinbefore described with regard to the boiler.

One pipe I form with a flat and the' other with a conical end.

The flange-joints I make with narrow surfaces, or place narrow copper washers between them and draw the flanges together with bolts and nuts.

The arrangements above described are equally suitable for portable and fixed engines, and peculiarly adapted to agricultural and locomotive engines for use where fuel and water are scarce.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim isl. The arrangement of the water-tube boiler,

the air-surface condenser, a-nd the compound engine all upon the same frame, supported by wheels, the whole constituting one locoset forth, of the airsurface condenser, the. exhaust -pipe connecting` the engine and condenser, and the self-acting` relief-valve to permit the excess of exhaust steam to escape from the condenser.

LOFTUS PERKINQ.

Vitnesses:

G. F. WARREN, WILMER M. HARRIS, Both of No. 17 Gmccchzwch street, London. 

